OTTAWA — Matt Horne, director of the Pembina Institute's climate change program, made the following statement concerning Chapter 1, "Climate Change Plans under the Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act," of the 2011 October report by the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development:
"The federal government has repeatedly exaggerated the effectiveness of its policies to limit greenhouse gas pollution, and now admits its plan will be 90 per cent less effective than it first claimed. Further, the government has ignored the legal requirement to explain how it will make up for this gap.
"Despite years of debate and discussion about federal action on climate change, the Commissioner found that the federal government still does not have a solid management structure in place to achieve its objectives, or properly measure the effectiveness of its policies or spending. This is a recipe for continued failure.
"The Commissioner's findings are especially relevant when looking forward to Canada's 2020 commitments. Canada will fail to live up to those commitments unless it addresses the serious gaps in the ambition, implementation and monitoring of its climate change plans."
Nathan Lemphers, a senior policy analyst at the Pembina Institute, made the following statement concerning Chapter 2, "Assessing cumulative environmental effects of oil sands projects," of the 2011 October report by the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development:
"Today, Canada's environment commissioner concluded that the federal government is not able to adequately assess the cumulative environmental impacts of oilsands development due to gaps in monitoring data and baseline information. The implication of this is simple: the government can't claim to be effectively managing environmental impacts when it is not adequately assessing what those impacts are.
"Doing a thorough job of assessing and understanding the environmental impacts is fundamental to making informed decisions about whether and how development should proceed. The government is failing on both counts.
"This report is the latest in a series of reports that contradict the government's claims about protecting the environment in the oilsands region. Canadians have learned that their government does not have sufficient information to make informed decisions, and as a result is unable to properly assess the cumulative environmental impacts of oilsands development. The only thing diminishing faster than Canada's international credibility on these matters is the environmental assessment agency's budget, which will be cut in half over the next two years.
"This report tells a different story than what the federal government has been saying in the U.S. and the EU, where it has downplayed environmental concerns in its effort to lobby for new pipeline approvals and shield the industry from environmental measures elsewhere."
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Contact:
Matt
Horne
Director, climate change
Cell: 778-235-1476
Nathan
Lemphers
Senior policy analyst, oilsands
Cell: 403-370-9292
Background:
- A detailed table comparing sources of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada is available online.
- Solving
the Puzzle: Environmental responsibility in oilsands development outlines 19 specific policy
solutions to improve environmental assessment and management in the oilsands.
- The Pembina Institute's fact sheet on the links between oilsands development and climate change is available online.
